Piano and the like



Oct 2 2, 1929. J, HE 1,732,748

' PIANO AND THE LIKE Filed May 24, 1926 i5 I/ A WITNESSES INVENTOR: J 1 Florence lfi'ppe,

W Q.M4.

TTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIANO AND THE LIKE Application filed May 24,

This invention relates to pianos or similar musical instruments in which strings are used to produce the tonal vibrations, and it has for primary objects to generally improve the tonal qualities of such instruments, more particularly from the standpoint of resonance, and to provide means capable of reflecting vibrations transmitted to the sounding board by the strings back to the exteriorly exposed side of said board so as to amplify and prolong its activity for the purpose noted.

A further object of this invention is to secure the foregoing desideratum in sound refleeting means capable of being inexpensively manufactured and readily applied to standard types of pianos without necessitating any alterations whatever in them with regard to either their construction or normal mode of operation.

In the drawings, Fig. I is an invert plan view of a grand piano equipped with the sound reflecting means of my invention; and,

Fig. II is a detail sectional view, on a some what larger scale, taken as indicated by the arrows II-II in Fig. I. 7

The piano herein shown is of standard construction with the action (not illustrated) housed in the forward section 10 of its casing 11. The rear portion of the casing is open at 0 the bottom, as at 12, for exposure of the back of the sounding board 13, over the top of which the strings. 14 are spanned in the usual manner.

Within the open bottom 12 of the casing 11. I mount a frame 15 comprising a number of radially-arranged bars 16 which in themselves are amply proportioned to be substantially non-vibrating and which are rigidly secured at opposite ends respectively to the frontal portion 10 of said casing and the rear perimetric wall 17 of the latter, as clearly shown in Fig. I. From Fig. II it is to be par-' ticularly noted that the frame 15 is well spaced from the sound board 13 so that no restraint whatever is imposed to hamper free vibration of the latter. The frame 15, as well as the rear surrounding wall of the piano casing 11, serve as a support for a number of reflector elements 18 which occupy the intervals between the bars 16, and, collectively 1926. Serial NO. 111,190.

considered, have a projected area very nearly equal to the exposed area of the sound board 13. As shown in Fig. II, these reflector elements 18 are fashioned to semi-circular cross section from sheet material that is substantially non-vibratory, for example soft aluminum, with lateral marginal flanges 19 along one edge of sufficient width to enable attachment'to the respectiveframe bars 16 by means of screws or other convenient fastening means 20.

With the describedarrangement, it will be apparent that the vibrations. emanating from the sound board 13 are intercepted by the elements 18, and, by virtue of the curvative of the latter, reflected back to said sounding board. As a consequence, the vibrations of the sounding board 13 are amplified and prolonged to the extent of greatly improving the resonance and tonal quality of the instrument.

I am aware that reflectors have been heretofore employed at the interior of pianos for a generally similar purpose, but in view of the restricted space available and the comparatively small area of the sounding board accessible only limited tonal amplification could be obtained. In contradistinction, with my present invention, it is possible to operate upon practically the entire area of the sounding board with the result that the maximum tonal amplification and resonance is secured.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with the strings and sounding board of a piano, of a multiplicity of concaved non-vibratory reflector elements with a total projective area substantially equal to that of said sounding board and functional to'reflect musical vibrations back to the latter, each of said elements embodying an integral flange along one longitudinal edge whereby it is supported in spaced relation to the sounding board.

2. The combination with the strings and. sounding board of a piano, of a rigid open frame of radially-arranged members spaced from the sounding board at the side opposite to that occupied by the strings, and concaved reflective non-vibratory elements attached by integral flanges along one of their longitudinal edges to the frame functional to reflect musical Vibrations back to said sounding board.

3. The combination with the strings and sounding board of a grand piano, of a rigid open frame of radially-arranged bars mounted in the hollow of the piano casing in spaced relation beneath the exposed portion of the sounding board, a concaved non-vibratory reflector element having a lateral marginal flange whereby it is secured to a frame bar and occupying the openings thereof functional to reflect musical vibrations back to said sounding board, and similar reflector elements secured to the rear surrounding wall of the piano casing.

4. The combination with the strings and sounding board of a. grand piano, of a rigid open frame incorporating radially-arranged bars mounted in the hollow of the piano casing in spaced relation beneath the exposed portion of the sounding board, aconcaved non-vibratory reflective element having a marginal flange whereby it is secured to a frame bar and occupying an opening thereof to reflect musical vibrations back to the sounding board, similar reflective elements attached to the rear surrounding wall of the piano casing and likewise occupying openings in the frame aforesaid, and the aggregative projective area of all of said reflectors substantially equalling that of the sounding board.

5. The combination with the strings and sounding board of a piano of concaved refleeting elements located in the rear of said sounding board and constructed from substantially non-vibrant metal functional to reflect musical vibrations back to the externally exposed side of the sounding board, and each said reflecting element embodying a lateral flange along one edge thereof whereby it is supported in spaced relation to the sounding board.

6. The combination with the strings and sounding board of a piano of semi-circular cross section reflecting elements, the total area whereof is substantially equal to that of the sounding board and jointly serving to reflect musical vibrations back to the latter. said elements being located at the rear and wholly within the confines of the sounding board and each provided with a marginal flange whereby it is sustained in spaced relation to said sounding board.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- Vania, this 20th day of May, 1926. H

FLORENCE J. HEPPE. 

